Fire

Fire by Kristin Cashore

My rating:  5/5
Summary (from Goodreads):  Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story.


My review:

From the very first page, this book was breathtaking.  I could see in my mind every strand of grass on the fields, every crack in the stones, everything down to the very last leaf on a tree.

At the very being, the main character, Fire, is shot by a mysterious person.  I loved this as an introduction; it really makes you ask why she's shot, and by whom.  Fire was an excellent character for this book.  She was a monster that wished not to be a monster.  As interesting as it would be to have those powers, I don't think that I would want them, if I would then be a monster.  I love that Fire hates to use her powers, but uses them more and more, and is no longer afraid of using them, but still only does good things with them, unlike her father, Cansrel.

Brigan was definitely my favourite character.  He was calm and levelheaded, able to control himself around Fire.  I understood why he didn't like Fire at first, even though he seemed really cruel.  As time went on in the book, I could see how well Brigan and Fire were suited for each other.

King City was the main setting in Fire.  It was also definitely my favourite place in the whole book.  I imagined it in a medieval sort of way, with the stones and the castle, the poor and the rich.  In my mind, I could see the castle with torches lighting the chambers, and tapestries hanging on the walls.

I don't know why I can't think of much to say about thin book, even though I've read it more than ten times.  But either way, this is an excellent book!